


The Marauders of Campos do Jordão

by AvengingMarauders



Category: Actor RPF, American (US) Actor RPF, Marvel, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Awkward Romance, Comic-Con, F/M, Fanfiction, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-12 01:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15328872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvengingMarauders/pseuds/AvengingMarauders
Summary: Problem seemed to be the word of the day. While three of Marvel's most important actors had to face a mess in the Brazilian Comic Con, three friends tried to keep their inn standing when a storm hit the city. For some reason, fate joined the six of them, and now they had to decide which enemy they would have to face that night: cold, spirits, or little Tricksters.[Translated from the Portuguese version, we apologize for any typos]





	1. 99 Problems

The Brazilians were... _Intense_. It was exactly this way that Evans had explained to Jeremy and Sebastian what to expect from the Brazilian fans who would see them at that convention. The problem, at least for Jeremy, was that Evans had lied. Intense did not even come close to describing the madness that was that event, let alone the way that amount of people shouted and cried to be standing in front of their idols. It was madness, in Jeremy's view, and sheer amusement for Sebastian, who loved more than considered normal the attention – something few would think of the quieter and more reserved of the trio. Quiet and reserved in public, because when there were only them in the waiting room for their panels, the comments of the Romanian were anything but reserved.

            The three of them had been extremely requested at the Brazilian convention, and they accepted with the greatest disposition, impressed by the insistence of the fans. They wouldn’t have much time to get to know the city, but they already considered it a good experience to have contact with the girls and boys who had paid a pretty expensive ticket just to see them. They had made a list of who they wanted to come and, in the end, Chris, Jeremy and Sebastian were the ones who had the clearest schedule to make it, to participate in the days of the event and to do some interviews with other media.

            Jeremy was dizzy, slightly deaf. He had appeared for five seconds just to say a quick a "hello" before the big event of the last day. Chris and Sebastian waited for him in the waiting room and smiled sideways when they saw him startled by the intensity of the screams that had not subsided during the days of the convention.

"We have to come back," he demanded, closing the door that did a poor job of stifling the noise. “Along with the others.”

"I don’t think they," Sebastian pointed to the door, indicating he meant the fans, "could handle the rest of the cast.

 

\---

 

When he stopped to think about it, Chris would have thought it was all too good to be true. In his experience, there were rare events that allowed the same attraction every day. And it was even rarer the times when the fans did not pile up outside the place where the convention had taken place to try a last photo, a last autograph, a last minute sign of attention. The metal barriers did their job in containing the crowd, but the actor had already seen the weaknesses, and knew that it would not be long before the fans noticed as well. And Chris was sure that the group of security guards who surrounded them, strong as they were, could not contain those crazy fans. Jeremy and Sebastian had the same conviction.

The three actors glanced quickly, instinctively tracing the fastest route to the car that would take them out, probably having to take care of themselves without the security guards who would be too busy to contain the horde. What had been fun all weekend, now became a faint panic in Sebastian's eyes, which stared up at the overcast sky and heavy clouds that seemed it would collapse at any moment. Over the weekend they had learned that the city was known in Brazil as the land of drizzle, but it seemed to be something much stronger than a drizzle. Did they have a different definition of drizzle? Sebastian asked himself quickly, before his ears were caught by the shrill cries.

The security guards formed a firm barrier around the three actors, their eyes intent on any breach that had been opened on the security grids. Chris, Jeremy and Sebastian stopped at the top of the stairs quickly to wave to the fans, which seemed to be a mistake, before they started to make their way to the black car that had been rented to haul them anywhere during those days that would be in São Paulo.

And then it happened. It was too fast and no one knew the exact moment when the metal barriers failed or the large security blockade around them was broken, but when they saw, the three actors were standing in the midst of the confusion of fans and security guards who tried in vain to control the people of all ages. No one knew, but maybe it was Chris who shouted for them to run towards the car, taking advantage of the corridor that some of the security guards managed to clear to make way for them, Sebastian grabbing the arms of the two colleagues, afraid of them getting lost in the middle of that confusion. The three of them couldn’t remember ever having to run so long in their lives, not even during the scenes of the films they filmed did they strive so hard. At first, the car seemed to be at a safe distance, but as the hell settled in, it seemed that with every step they took, the car drove away more and more.

“Holy shit!” Sebastian shouted as they reached the car and managed to get in, getting orders from the head of security to take off with the vehicle and get out of there as quickly as possible.

            Jeremy occupied the space behind the wheel, while Evans was at his side on the passenger seat, and Sebastian followed behind, his eyes intent on any fan that appeared in the back of the car and could be run over while the older actor was marching in reverse through the freer and less dangerous way. The three of them trembled at the rush and fright they had just taken. As Jeremy maneuvered away, Chris tried to turn on the GPS, getting lost in the strange language of which he knew few words.

“Get us out of here!” said Sebastian from the back seat, growing impatient with his colleague's complications.

“I know as much Portuguese as you!” Chris clapped back, trying to find the settings so he could change the device’s language. Jeremy had succeed on getting out and now drove around the streets.

“Where do we go?” he asked.

“Shouldn’t we get back to the hotel?” asked Sebastian, looking around and trying to recognize something.

“Do you know how?”

“Evans, what’s taking you so long?”

“Stop yelling at me!” the actor exclaimed, almost punching the device that just didn’t stop saying things he couldn’t understand.

“We need to go somewhere safe”, said Jeremy at the exact moment Chis succeed on changing the settings to English, and the woman of the GPS started to talk in their language.

_“Calculating route to Somewhere Safe.”_

            The three looked at each other in a mixture of surprise and anxiety, watching as the route appeared on the device. Jeremy looked at his colleagues, expecting some help regarding on what he should do.

“What do I do?” he asked at last. “This clearly isn’t the way back to the hotel.”

“Follow the GPS”, decided Chris, with Sebastian backing him up.

            They were already lost, what would change if they got lost some more?

 

\---

 

“Any sign?” Natalia asked Lia, who was in front of the computer. The other sighed in frustration, serving as an answer to the newcomer. “Not even on the phone?”

“Zero,” Lia said, erasing the monitor from the computer she was using. “Maybe the zombie apocalypse has begun and we'll be the last to know.”

“Funny. Have you tried calling service? If we can’t solve this, someone has to. We can’t stay in this situation,” Natalia complained, knowing she was not helping her friend by standing the obvious, but she could not think of anything to solve their problem.

“Yes, but they said it wasn’t up to them, but on the operator. Monica was talking to them,” the older woman informed, snorting as she finished shutting down the computer. Her will was to kick such a machine, such was the frustration. None of them were addicted to the internet, but they needed it because of the inn. At the moment they had no guests, the last ones leaving that morning due to the blackout last night, but they had to check reservations, essential information for the management of the company. But how were they supposed to do that if they couldn’t have any access to the internet? “Monica, what's up? Anything?”

“Unfortunately no. They said that with the storm yesterday, many trees fell and cut the wires. It will take a few days to reestablish the telephone and internet connection. For now, only the 3g and cellular. Well, almost. The signal is so bad and falling so much that it seems we do not have them either. The call got cut four times until I got it,” Monica informed, her tone of dismay and annoyance equaling the mood of the three businesswomen.

            What would they do now? The sky had fallen on the inner day in Campos do Jordão, the heavy rain and the winds wreaking havoc on the whole city. They knew they were not the only ones who were harmed by the storm, and the blackout it brought in lasted most of the day, but they could not help but think about the damage they would have. Due to the low season, they were with few guests until that moment, but after almost a whole day without light, the remaining couple decided to finish the trip earlier, afraid of having to repeat the dose the night before.

            The three, then, after a few minutes of complaining and whining, resolved to be proactive and take back the reins of the situation. Since none of the friends were from the city, they lived in the same inn, in a wing intended only for them. Therefore, since they would be without communication and with the possibility of being without light again, they began to take action. They picked up firewood in case there was another power outage, they wouldn’t run out of heat, they stored the main kitchen with food for the rest of the day and night that were not perishable, they searched for more covers, among a thousand and other things. Two hours later, exhausted, they sat in the reception lounge, catching their breath a little and making sure they were ready for another stormy night. They were going over the list of immediate tasks they had worked out so they wouldn’t forget anything when they heard the sound of wheels outside the building. They looked at each other in confusion, wondering if they had forgotten any reservations. But there was no time for that. Guests or not, someone had arrived, and they had to receive it. Natalia and Monica went behind the counter, quickly organizing the mess that was there, due to the "clash" they had with the computer earlier. Lia volunteered to be the hostess, then headed for the entrance of the inn, to welcome anyone who had arrived.

            The woman was surprised to see the Land Rover that had parked in the driveway, and even more so when three familiar figures got out of the vehicle. Suspicious and doubting her eyes, she wondered if she was not imagining it. Maybe they were look-alikes? It could not be who Lia imagined was. As if to be sure, she asked the three figures who stood in front of her.

“Boa tarde! No que nós da _Somewhere Safe_ poderemos ajudá-los hoje?”, she asked, her face with her solicitous expression and friendly smile disguising her shock, especially when the sunglasses - seriously, who wore sunglasses when the weather was darker than dawn at 3 in the afternoon? - were removed from their eyes.

            There were three men. Two practically the same height, between six-feet-tall, one blond and the other brunette, both with blue eyes that took her breath away. But it was the third, slightly lower, that captured her attention. Not that the other two were not pretty (God, it must have been illegal to have so much beauty gathered in a single square meter), but although he was also blond with light eyes, like the first man, he captivated her more. The intense look, the mature face, the relaxed posture attracted her more than she wanted to admit. She knew she was staring at them, especially the last man, in an almost inappropriate way and controlling herself not to bite her lips in appreciation as she noticed the exchange of confused stares between the trio. Inappropriate sensations aside, she was also confused by the scene. What had she said?

“Sorry, is there something wrong?” she asked, confusing them even more.

“Er… Sorry ma’am, we don’t speak… Portuguese? Yeah, we don’t speak Portuguese.” Said the man who caught her attention. Lia wanted to sigh at his accent and voice, but it was not the attitude a serious businesswoman would have (not to mention that she was too grown-up to sigh for any pretty face she saw, even if it was _very_ handsome), then waved with her head instead, showing that she had understood. Being of the hotel business and having business in a tourist city, it was inadmissible that she didn’t know to speak English. So she switched to the language without any problem, but found the situation even stranger. What were three foreigners doing there, practically in the middle of a storm? Especially if they were who she imagined.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry. Anyway, welcome to _Somewhere Safe_. How can we help?”

"Well, you must have realized we're not from the area.” Said the first man, the muscular blond. He had a sweet, quite shy smile, which seemed to be reflected by the brunette. The third man's face was serene, free of expression, but his eyes were watching her closely ... and, would that be a hint of interest? “We were at an event, we got into a mess and trying to escape we got lost. The GPS that brought us here, actually.”

            Now the situation was beginning to make sense. Lia was pretty sure she knew what event they were in, and if she was really right, it must have been a big mess for them to end up lost.

"And since we get lost and don’t know anything, we have no idea where we are. I know we spent a lot of time running the roads, but we don’t understand Portuguese at all, and the GPS was not much help. Could you tell us where we are?” Asked the dark-haired man.

"You're in Campos do Jordão," the woman replied, adopting a sympathetic tone. Poor men. To get lost in an unknown country, where you don’t know the language and have no idea where you are, it must be a terrible experience. “I suppose you were in Sao Paulo? Well, that's a bit far. We are almost on the country side, 180 kilometers from the capital. It should be about 110 miles, I suppose,” she added, to help them at least have a sense of how far they went. From the faces of displeasure, she knew they understood how far they had gone.

 

            Natalia and Monica couldn’t understand what was happening to cause Lia's delay. The older one used to be so quick at the front desk, always making them feel welcome and comfortable from the front door to the check-out, and now she was taking about ten minutes to get back. Was she frightening anyone out of the situation they were in? After all, if they were completely honest, however much they needed the money for being off-season, they needed to be realistic and recognize that there was no condition of taking anyone in. The two of them faced each other and began to raise their doubts when they heard voices entering the place, speaking something they could not at first understand. It was only when the four - Lia and three other men - were in front of the counter that they understood what was happening.

            Unlike the older one, the two ladies had a little more difficulty processing what they saw in front of them. It hadn’t been a week since they took advantage of a quiet weekend to do a marathon with the movies featuring the three men who were in front of them. The heroes' franchise was famous and had arrived in Campos do Jordão, and all its cast had taken over the fanatical heart of the three. Monica fumbled a little, knocking over the pen holder and scattering the contents across the counter and floor, while Natalia just stared at them with wide eyes. Lia sighed, unable to believe that the two couldn’t control themselves for five miserable seconds, but at the same time understood the situation. _She_ didn’t know how she managed to behave so well, especially with the not so subtle looks of the shorter one.

"Sorry," she said, looking at the three men. "It's been a difficult weekend for us.”

            They didn’t answer, looking amused at the two of them on the other side of the balcony, Lia took a deep breath and skirted it, taking advantage of them to nip the arm of the two women, who seemed to wake up, though they looked at the woman in a weird way since it had not been light at all.

"Pretend, at least," Lia said, returning to Portuguese.

"Do you know who they are?" Natalia asked, pointing to the three of them.

"Besides, what are they doing _here_?" Monica asked, getting up after collecting the pens.

"They got lost and need a place to stay," Lia explained, smiling as if apologizing to the three men for their conversation. They were not being polite, but if they had the opportunity to take advantage and abuse their ignorance with their language, they would do it to get the least amount of order.

"Lia, we can’t take anyone!" Said Natalia, running her hand through her hair up in a high ponytail. "We barely have the condition to keep us here.”

"You want to miss this opportunity?" Monica asked, seeming to translate what the older woman thought.

"Did you at least say we're in trouble?" Asked the other, ignoring the youngest.

"Do you have any idea of how cold it is outside?" Lia asked, picking up the notebooks they used when they needed to do something by hand. "I just brought them in, I was going to explain all this when you two decided to argue with me."

"Sorry." They were interrupted by a voice, the three of them looked at the trio in front of him, the dark-haired man who had spoken. “Are we disturbing?”

"No, no," Lia said, stepping on Natalia's foot as the woman opened her mouth to speak. "We're just discussing what to do."

“What do you mean?” asked the blond one.

"We, um, we've got some technical issues," Monica said, finally addressing the trio and then getting all the attention. “A major storm occurred yesterday and we are without some resources.”

“Without _a lot_ of resources” said Natalia, still in Portuguese.

“We are not sure we are the best option for you” the youngest summed up.

“Look, we just want a place to sleep…”

“Maybe something to eat,” the shorter blond added. “We don’t need luxury”

“I always knew they were cool,” said Lia, earning a reproachful look from Natalia.

“Are you sure? We can recommend you to another hotel,” suggest Monica.

“I think they are all on the same situation,” the sorter one pointed out. “Besides, I don’t like to run away from a granted wish.”

The three women looked at each other in confusion and then at the trio, the blonde and the dark-haired one looked as confused as the women, but the shorter one just shrugged and smiled as if to say he knew what he was talking about and was not so crazy like they all thought he was. Finally, determined to leave that behind, and convinced to admit the boys, the girls introduced themselves and began the process of registering the guests. Although it was an unusual situation, they still had a protocol to follow.

After all, they confirmed their suspicions - not that Natalia and Monica doubted that they weren’t who they looked, what were the chances of being look-alike? Extremely low. Lia, who needed confirmation, being a little more skeptical, had never been so lucky after all. But the passports didn’t lie, in front of them were Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner and Sebastian Stan. If that weren’t enough, they would still be staying under the same roof.

That night was very promising.


	2. We solemnly swear that we are up to no good

With the arrival of the guests, the afternoon had passed extremely fast, and before they knew it was already night, and everyone was hungry. The three businesswomen held a small meeting behind the reception desk while guests took advantage of the conveniences offered by the inn on a normal day. If they were hungry, they could only imagine that the men were too. After all, they came straight from a convention, they could only imagine that there were not many stops on the way to eat something.

“So, what are our options?”, Lia asked to her friends.

“I think we have some bread, and toppings”, suggested Natalia, her hand running through her hair in a clear sign of uncertainty.

“You want to serve cheese on toast?”, questioned Lia. “Have you seen how big they are?”

“Like there was something else for us to see”, Monica joked, looking at the other three. “I think we have some frozen pizza, and we still haven’t been cut, so we can prepare them.”

“And to drink?”, asked Natalia.

“We have beer, juice, soda…”, the youngest replied.

"Good," Lia said, sounding extremely relieved. She hated being in the situation they were in, and the lightning that cut through the sky, followed by the thunder that threatened a new storm didn’t help much. "I'll put them on the oven then. You take care of the entertainment."

The two women stared at each other and smiled sideways, and for a brief second Lia regretted leaving them alone and unsupervised, but someone needed to take care of dinner and she would appreciate the brief moments when her only concern would be the time that she would have to remove the pizzas from the oven. Although the three guests were taking everything in the best possible spirit, they could not shake their constant concern to satisfy them and give them a good time.

"All right, gentlemen," Natalia said when she and Monica joined the men. "Lia went to take care of our dinner, can we serve you some drinks in the mean time?"

"What's in tonight's menu?" Chris asked, and Monica opened her mouth, but Natalia was quicker.

“Pizza.”

"Fondue night was yesterday, sorry," added the youngest, unable to hold her tongue and grinning victoriously when the actor understood the reference and blushed slightly.

"I think _I'm_ going to have a drink," Natalia murmured, approaching the bar.

"And when will you have another?" Asked Evans, catching Monica's attention as she tried to memorize Jeremy and Sebastian's requests, though she suspected her friend would be able to hear from where she was. The woman stared at him, surprised at the bold question she had not expected to receive so soon. Monica smiled sideways, looking quickly at Natalia, her eyes slightly wide and the glass with her drink halfway to her mouth.

"I think the spirits are starting to get agitated," the woman replied, unwillingly causing an unexpected reaction from one of the guests.

“Spirits” Sebastian asked, standing up and looking at the businesswomen. Natalia bit her lower lip, she was farther away from the group and knew what Monica was talking about, Sebastian was beside them and more lost than anything, as if she needed another reason to find him even more adorable. “What spirits?”

Monica and Natalia looked at each other from far away, the two women with smiles on their lips who could say something to the guests, but both knew they meant a lot more. The marauders imprisoned inside the two of them - and of Lia, later - finally found the breach that needed to leave their hiding place. They had to be so professional and adult constantly since they entered college, that they felt the need to put in coma the playful and mischievous personality within them. Until that moment. They planned a quiet night each in their room, resting after their exhausting day, but Sebastian had just given them the fuel they needed to ensure an even more memorable night than they would have with the guests under the hostel roof.

Carefully, Natalia poured the drinks Jeremy and Sebastian had ordered, and she had heard from where she was, and approached the group, holding out a glass for Chris as well. She and Monica stood side by side, exchanging conspiratorial glances that for the guests seemed only concerned with their well-being. At last the women sat down, mentally hoping Lia would not curse them when she joined the group. But _she_ had left them both in charge of entertainment, hadn’t she? They began a low discussion in Portuguese, trying to show some desperation for letting a detail escape, and that alarmed the three actors, who exchanged nervous looks, especially Sebastian, who had already turned the dose served in his glass and sat down again.

“What is going on?” Jeremy cut off their discussion, frowning in curiosity and concern.

"I'm sorry," Natalia said, nudging Monica so she could control her laughter, "is that we, um ... There's no easy way to say that."

“It isn’t something good for business, you now? I mean, sometimes.”

"Well ... It does and it doesn’t, it depends on the public," Natalia said. "But you guys are new and got here by accident, we didn’t know what to say.”

"But we needed to, or you'd be caught off guard," Monica said.

“What are you talking about?” Asked Chris, realizing how much Sebastian looked more and more frightened.

"The inn is haunted," said a voice at the entrance of the room, everyone turned to find Lia with a smile hidden on her lips, noticeable only to Monica and Natalia. How long had the woman been there, hearing everything?

"We were going to find out your profile over dinner," Natalia explained, drawing the attention back to herself. "But Monica blurted out, and well, Sebastian realized.

            The three of them were great actresses in those situations, it was the only explanation that justified the extremely serious expression, that they did not let pass any possibility that this was a lie. They could not say the same of the three guests, who didn’t seem quite sure as to what feel about that. Sebastian was the only one who was visibly and officially scared, while Chris and Jeremy looked more dubious, the older than the blond. Chris was staring at the two women, waiting for everyone to give up and start laughing, pretending to be a lie, while Jeremy stared at the older woman, knowing that if that information came, it would be there. But none of the three belied the story, instead Lia sighed and entered the room, apologizing again for the slip.

"It's a great attraction at the inn, our differential," she explained. "We had no idea that we had visited a haunted property when we bought here, we just came to find out the story when we were renovating and one of the locals told us. You know, we're not from here either.

"At first, we thought about giving up and buying another piece of land, but soon the news spread and we saw several forums of people interested in buildings in that style that already wanted to know the place.” Monica added, shrugging as if to say there was not much they could do. If that was the will of the people, who were they to be against it?

"We left everything in our hometown, Sao Paulo, to come here and build our space," Natalia added. "We couldn’t drop everything for a small detail.”

“ _Small detail_?” Sebastian exclaimed, seeming to shrink further into his place on the couch.

"You can’t be serious," said Chris, who seemed very convinced of the story.

"We don’t play with things like that, Chris," Lia said. "We don’t want to irritate the spirits.”

"It was annoying enough when we got a couple on their honeymoon," Monica said, almost laughing at the confused expressions of her audience.

"According to history, our spirits are celibates.”

“Excuse me?” Jeremy exclaimed, definitely not buying that story.

"The story they told us," Natalia began, "says that before, in this house, lived an extremely rigid and large family, not only father, mother and children, but some cousins and uncles as well.”

"And they made a vow, the brothers and the cousins," Monica said, realizing that her friend was starting to struggle a little. "They lived a very bohemian life and they all went through complicated situations, and they decided to leave that life for a while," said the youngest, then looking at Lia, a clear signal for the woman to continue.

"They promised to be celibate for a year," said the woman. "They made a vow, a blood one, that for a year they wouldn’t relate to anyone. They wouldn’t go out for parties any more. They would no longer live a life that their extremely religious uncles and aunts considered sinful.” Lia thanked her fanaticism for the Supernatural series, and other books that followed the genre, facilitating the task of creating something like that. "For a year they behaved, they didn’t step out of the line one day. They didn’t drink, they didn’t meet other people, and they didn’t go to a single party, just the six-year anniversary of a distant cousin.”

"It was their longest year," Natalia commented, only to buy Lia some time, preferring to let her finish the story.

"I shudder at the thought of going through it," Monica said, pretending to shiver.

"It was difficult," said Lia, "but they didn’t give up, and finally the one year came to an end. On the eve of the end of that promise, they were alone in the house. Their parents had gone to visit an aunt who had become ill, the mother of the child's birthday, "she commented, realizing that a lot of people were coming out of nowhere and they needed to connect. "They were cooking a dinner worthy of celebration, as if it were a New Year’s eve celebration, when the fire began and they didn’t notice.”

"They were distracted watching a movie and starting to share what they would do when they were finally free of the promise," Natalia said, dismissing her friend from the pressure. She knew it was difficult. "It was too late already when they noticed the fire, the smoke was already taking over the whole house and began to invade the room through the door, it was when they realized what was happening.”

"When they left the room, the whole house was on fire and they had nowhere to run.” Monica told them, after Natalia pretended to be sad about that ending. “The inhaling of the smoke made them faint, and the flames did the rest of the work.”

"But their spirits are forever trapped in this land," Natalia said. "Many houses have been built and demolished here since then, but their spirits never found rest. On a daily basis, they are quiet, but they were about to relieve all the sexual tension they had suppressed for a year and died. So when we get a couple on honeymoon, or a couple that is still in that phase of extreme passion, or someone who decides to relieve itself a little bit... They appear.”

"There's nothing we can do," said Monica, "a lot of couples come here for exactly that, other friends come here and do it on purpose to tease them.”

"We had a couple here yesterday," Lia said, "they didn’t know about the story and they were gone the moment the noises started.”

“Noises?” Asked Sebastian.

"They moan," Natalia said. "They creep down the corridors, make noises on the walls as if they were stuck there, listening to all the commotion.”

No one said anything for a long time, the girls tried very hard to not laugh, while the actors tried to ponder whether or not they believed in that story that, they had to admit, was very good. Sebastian had been sold since the first mention of the spirits, Chris seemed to have been convinced by the story, and Jeremy still didn’t seem to believe - it wasn’t exactly a surprise, since the actor had made it clear at different times that he didn’t believe in things like that. The women were not discouraged by that, they had the majority of the audience, it was a victory. Lia quickly escaped, announcing that she would check out the pizzas. Monica and Natalia looked at each other quickly and stood up, announcing they would prepare the dinner table.

The silence stretched out until everyone was seated at the large dining table, which was served for everyone. The men sat on one side, the women on the other. Monica and Natalia had helped Lia bring the pizzas and drinks, allowing the men continue to process the story.

"I still don’t believe in it," Jeremy said, his voice muffling the sound of forks and knives, which until then had been the only noise in the room. "It's a great story, but it sounds very fanciful.”

"Others have doubted it, too," Natalia said, taking her glass of wine for a drink. "They didn’t have a good night."

As if they needed another reason to corroborate that story, the lights of the place went out and they heard a loud crack coming from outside. Quickly everyone looked at each other, the room lit by the emergency lights as Lia got up to pick up some candles over the fireplace and a box of matches. Natalia gave Monica a light kick, signaling her to say something. The woman smiled and shrugged, knowing they could see precariously some shapes.

“See? You didn’t want to believe it, you irritated the spirits," she said, her smile looking even more frightening as Lia lit the candle in front of her.

 

The silence remained until they finished dinner. The light hadn’t come back and the inn was starting to get colder, a sign that the heating system had died along with the energy. The businesswomen began a brief discussion in Portuguese, and even without knowing the language, the actors knew that they were discussing how they would organize their stay.

"Do you mind sharing a room?" Natalia asked suddenly.

"I wouldn’t," Monica said, looking at Chris.

"We're out of energy," Lia explained, "and we're thinking of your best comfort. We can’t light the fireplace in the rooms for fear of fires, and the amount of blankets we have is reduced. Usually the heating system is enough, but it is unavailable.”

“What about you?” Sebastian asked, clearly happy to change the subject to something lighter.

"We'll figure it out later," Natalia said, clearly meaning to say the opposite.

"We don’t want you feeling cold at night," Jeremy said, making Lia smile a little.

"Perhaps we can think of some way to keep all of us warm?" Chris suggested.

"Well, I guess that's a no for them to share a room," Monica said. "I told them they wouldn’t like it."

"I said we could split into couples," Natalia commented. The two of them doing their part in pretending they were against Lia's absurd idea. They just couldn’t stop the joke.

"It’s not up to us," said the older woman. The three women stared at the actors at the same time.

Chris, Jeremy and Sebastian were at a disadvantage. They couldn’t discuss it between them, after all the women would understand everything. Unlike them, they had their own language to solve their internal problems. They tried, however, and the businesswomen did a great job pretending they did not try to catch a few words here or there. The situation seemed to be in their favor, Sebastian being more of a counter for the fear of awakening the celibate spirits. Monica, Lia, and Natalia could not help smiling to see that the story still hung over them.

"If you don’t want to wake them up, Stan, just behave," Jeremy said at one point. Making the girls cry of laughter.

            It took a while, but at last they came to an agreement. The three agreeing that couples would be a better division than trios. The division of the rooms was completely unbiased, _of course_ , and it was just destiny that they split as: Monica and Chris; Lia and Jeremy; Natalia and Sebastian. Neither party had influenced anything, _of course_. It was a fair and honest draw.

            They arranged the dinner mess, and then the girls showed them where the rooms were. As the customers changed room, Lia remembered something she owned in one of the desk drawers and handed it to Natalia, who would have the most frightened of the group. They could lose their clientele, but they would not miss the joke - or the fun of the night. The woman smiled as she recognized the device and pressed one of the buttons, hearing the first sounds of something that looked like a ghost. Lia quickly explained what was on that tape recorder and Natalia smiled even more, already imagining the night she would have. She hid it as soon as she heard the actors approaching where they were.

"Well," said Monica, turning to the guests. "It's been a long day, for all of us, we should get some rest."

            No one objected, all eager for a warm bath and the comfort of a bed under a pile of blankets to keep the cold away. Lia was the only one to be left behind, after all someone had to close everything and make some notes about that day. She also wanted to give some privacy to her roommate, knowing that the atmosphere would be strange with their arrangement. Everyone knew what could happen tonight, no one was innocent, but Lia preferred to keep some uncertainty about it, preventing herself to get excited for something that could not even happen. Of course the other pairs didn’t share that thought, nor did her companion.


End file.
